Construction Starts.

Well, this is the before image of the inside.

Where the door is to the right of the window, that area will extend to be the retail point. If you remember the external shot, it had two windows, that is where the 2nd window is, another room for sales and baking.

The area where the photo was taken will be the production part. All fridges and freezers, where I was standing. Marble tables down the middle. Massive Hobart mixer and other dough devices down the left. The mighty Robot Coupe R6X food processor in the centre.

Now this is what it looked like recently after Jose and his chaps started on it.

The ceiling will be replaced with nice new tiles at the back that comply with health code for food production, and left open at the front with spray painted ducting to give the industrial feel.

It's not a brilliant picture, but that is the main man Jose with debris all around him.

This is the area where the retail point will be. As you can see the opening in the wall has been started, but this will be much larger when we have finished. We will be taking out that beam and putting in a much larger one, letting us take out the wall to the left and right. Giving us a completely open space.

It is all becoming a reality now.

The idea, the plan and now the implementation.

Pasties, Alaska? are you sure?

My friend Jonah found pasties on his trip to Alaska. So it definitely looks like they are making more and more appearances in the US. The wonderful pastry product has now surfaced in Michigan, Arizona, California and now Alaska. Virginia is just around the corner!

I must say from my research the part about pasties having a savory and fruit filling is a bit of a myth. None of the pasty gurus in Cornwall can find any written evidence. Also it would be really difficult to cook one that way. The fruit would take much much less time to cook than the meat and veg.

More big news soon on the shop and the cart!

Permits!!!!

Our plans have passed all the levels of building codes and checks. Now we have our building permits and can start working on the premises. This is a major milestone. Tomorrow the landlord, the architect, the contractor and I are all meeting to set a schedule for the building work. Exciting times are ahead. As soon as I get the information from this I'll be on here telling all of the timeline and progress. There will be pictures of the place undergoing it's transformation and eventually filled with the smell of freshly baked Pasties.

I can't wait!!!

Why has it been so quiet?

I have now decided the sound that red tape makes is silence followed by some very detailed questions.

The reason it has been so quiet for the previous weeks is that we have been firmly embroiled in obtaining all the official department approvals so we can commence work on the premises. This takes time and patience, questions are asked and my good friend Paul finds the answers. However, the light at the end of the tunnel has been burning brighter and brighter. Now it's a full blown sunrise with a hint of green about it. Today we have answered the last comment about the circuit boards and their labeling.

Tomorrow we should have the full blown permit and and a massive bright green light!

We have been busy talking to the bank, buying ovens, trying to find that perfect solution to the pasty display case issue. Btw I have found something very close, but as you might guess its looking very expensive. So I might be having a collection so I can afford it.

The ovens and the freezer arrived. They are now safely stored onsite ready for the work to take place. Tomorrow we move the mixer and the fridges in from storage unit, so all the important ducks are being brought into line.

I've met with the people who run payroll for small businesses. Making me prepared and ready on that front. So, who wants to come and make/sell pasties then?

Tomorrows meeting with the landlord and the builder will be the milestone I have been waiting for. So then there will be some excited postings as we will have a schedule to work to.

Let's start building things.

Dishwashers, Freezers and a goal achieved.

Well as you can see from the picture we have put posters up in the windows announcing our intent on what is coming. Heidi the marketing lady did most of the wording for me and design, except for the wonderful logo from my ever useful daughter.

The big goal achieved was that the plans submitted to the health dept were passed. BIG cheer! Now they have to go through the other Fairfax county depts before we get the green light. So at this point Paul (Architect), Nick (Landlord) and myself got together over a NY omelette breakfast to get our ducks in line. I reckon I'm quite lucky to have these guys on board, we seem to connect well. So, we're putting our contractor on warning for a May start of the necessary construction work. Brilliant.

One fly in the ointment for me was the dishwasher. The health dept threw out the one I had purchased due to its hot water requirement exceeding the planned hot water system. The equation is too complex for here. As I said at the time, probably more complex than the story line in 'Lost'. The bottom line is I can't use it. So, I'm reverting to plan B of get my mum in and give her some rubber gloves.

More good news though, the guys I bought the freezer from in Maryland delivered it yesterday, and it all looks good. Plus I bought the Oven, a stonking big Vulcan SG44D, can bake enough pasties to feed an army. That should be arriving next week.

I saw Paul at the site, when we were dealing with the freezer, and he was smiling. That's always a good sign.

Saving the best news for last, I've been taking finance with my old company HSBC. These guys are really great. John Villar and Tucker Snyder, it's good to see the processes from the customer perspective. I was always in the back room jobs, but these front line people do the company proud.

Let's see where we are next week. Most or the equipment is now done. Maybe time for some golf with Steve (English Butcher) and get the sausage roll project rolling.

Washington Business Journal

Well I've made it into a second publication. This time it's the prestigious Washington Business Journal. See the link below:

http://washington.bizjournals.com/washington/stories/2010/04/05/newscolumn2.html

I actually gave the interview while driving the truck down I95 in the pouring to pick up my cold goods merchandiser from Richmond. I'm starting to like being interviewed, so if any of the other local publications want to talk to me, bring them on. Anybody that knows me of old, knows it's actually more difficult to shut me up :-) especially about food.

Display Case - Hrumph

I like the sound of Hrumph, it expresses exactly how one feels at that time. I had couple of those moments this week.

From where we left off before, it was all about ensuring The Health people had the spec sheets on every item of equipment I would be using.

Oh yes, and arranging consequent purchases and deliveries. Well the coffee grinder has arrived, I must do some really fantastic organic coffee for the American tastes. Coffee maker, model and make has been decided upon. The dishwasher is in transit as I write, possibly not moving it is Sunday morning. However, there is always a BUT....

The Display Case.

What I want to do is really simple. This item is centre of attention in the shop. It contain the main star of the show, the glorious Pasty. The problem is that off the shelf warming cabinets are quite ugly. I want to replicate the beautiful cases that West Cornwall Pasties use (pictured above). They are just front, top, and sides glass, with chrome steel posts holding all together. Yes, they have them in the States, and I can get all the parts, a manufacturer in California makes them. I can have a local glass company order the parts and fit the glass.

However, the health people say I've got to buy a unit with a NSF, UL or ETL code compliance rating. I've asked how other larger outlets get use ones like the one above, and they do, to find its because the big players can NSF rate them themselves :-(

Hrumph.

Anyway quitting has never been part of my strategy, and neither is settling for second best. Actually that goes for most things really. So next week I'm going to try and find somebody who can build this and the NSF rate it for me.

For now we have an off the shelf model in the plans and that is being submitted. So the approval process can keep on going.